As the shadows of the gargantuan stands spread out across a sunlit Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday evening, more than 68,000 people filed away knowing that England were on the very verge of their primary goal of retaining the Ashes. The scoreboard told its story: that England had extended their overnight score to 513, their 415 lead exceeded by them in Ashes cricket only at the Oval in 1938; and that Australia had then succumbed once more to the skill and urgency of the England attack so that by the close they had been reduced to 169 for six in their second innings.

With two days still remaining in the game, the forecasters suggesting fair weather, and the unfortunate Australian bowler Ryan Harris out of the series with a stress-fractured ankle and so unlikely to hobble to the crease, England sipped their isotonic dressing room drinks knowing with utmost certainty that three more wickets and the job was done.

The turn of the screw came after tea, at which point Australia were rattling along at 95 for one, only 30 overs gone and Shane Watson on his fourth half-century of the series. This is supposed to be the sleepy time, for the final session of the first two days had been wicketless. Not so this time.

While Graeme Swann wove a brilliant mesmeric spell at one end, that brought him figures of 22-11-23-1 and reinforced his standing as the best in the business (this on a Test pitch barely halfway through its natural life), it was Tim Bresnan, underestimated Yorkshire yeoman (although underestimated no more) who, shown confidence in his ability, responded by producing the bowling of his life to start propelling Australia into the abyss.

Already, after the first innings, Bresnan's appearance in this match has been seen as a triumph of proactive selection. Each of the six pace bowlers in the party had been chosen not just as first choice and reserves, but with specific games in mind: Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn in Brisbane; Ajmal Shahzad for Adelaide (Finn's first Test six wickets kept his place but only by a hair); Chris Tremlett as a replacement for the injured Broad; and now Bresnan, who had been earmarked by England's bowling coach, David Saker, for Melbourne for his versatility.

The ball reversed, as England always knew it would on this Melbourne drop-in pitch: Saker had said as much all along and there are no MCG onions to which he is not privy. They know how to condition the ball and then use it, skills not seen to the same level in the opposition. And with this old ball, Bresnan, a picture of parsimony in his first spell as he calmed down the understandable overpitching overeagerness at the start of the Australian innings (which nonetheless contributed to the abrasion of the ball), suddenly caused mayhem. Watson was lbw for 54, despite a referral, offering no stroke as the ball snaked into him, a man scared of ghosts and, so it seems, three figures such is his dreadful conversion rate of half centuries.

Next went Ricky Ponting, a figure so haunted now as to make the hairs stand up on Watson's nape. Just 20 struggling runs, raging against the dying of the light, before he dragged an inswinger onto his wicket, and grimacing, crinkle-faced and sad, walked away from this great arena, who knows, perhaps for the last time in a Test. This series has seen him make only 113 runs, and take away the ubeaten 51 in Brisbane when England were using an opportunity to see if he could still hook, and he averages nine for the four Tests. The vultures have been circling over this great batsman for a while now: the next week may see an upheaval in Australian cricket.

When Mike Hussey, Australia's batsman of the series but without a run to his name in this innings, drove firmly to short extra cover for Ian Bell to collect superbly, Bresnan's spell of wicket taking had brought him three for two in four overs and with its pace and skill revived memories of Dean Headley propelling England to an unlikely win on this ground a dozen years ago.

Swann then went round the wicket and immediately had Michael Clarke taken sharply in the gully, so that Australia were 134 for five and as good as cooked. The return of Anderson towards the day's end produced the further wicket of Steve Smith, who made an uncomfortable 38 in the manner of a No9 before flinging the bat wantonly and losing his middle stump. If Smith is the answer at No6 for Australia, then it begs the nature of the question.

Just as in Adelaide, the Australian decline had been kick-started by a runout, perpetrated by Watson and his partner, and executed by Jonathan Trott. Here, after a 53-run opening stand, Watson played Swann into the covers and called for a single. Phil Hughes was slow to respond, Trott gathered and threw to Matt Prior who completed the job with the batsman a foot or so short. In this simple execution came another highlight of the difference in skill levels between the sides. On Monday, Trott had been reprieved when his dive beat Ponting's throw by a smidgeon - one frame on the replay - when the bowler, Ben Hilfenhaus, gathered the throw from behind the stumps rather than in front. As England learned under Duncan Fletcher, it is a move that can make the difference between a dismissal and safety. Further, England are told that no batsman in their team should be run-out on anything other than a dive which is found to be fractionally quicker: Hughes attempted to run his bat in. It is the smallest percentages that can make the difference at this level.

In the morning, Trott, imperturbably, had taken his score on to an unbeaten 168 before Peter Siddle finished the innings with his sixth thoroughly deserved wicket. As the last man Anderson surveyed his smashed wicket, Trott turned at the other end, and purposefully and at considerable length, re-marked his guard. Worth doing of course: he will probably play here again.

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